Newt Limb Regeneration

Summary

Urodele amphibians—newts and salamanders—are able to regenerate fully functional limbs in response to amputation. Cells in and near the limb stump dedifferentiate to form a mass of stemlike cells that can produce all the specialized tissues of the limb, such as muscle, nerves, and blood vessels.

Urodele amphibians—newts and salamanders—are able to regenerate fully functional limbs in response to amputation. Cells in and near the limb stump dedifferentiate to form a mass of stemlike cells that can produce all the specialized tissues of the limb, such as muscle, nerves, and blood vessels.

"When I teach cell division, stem cells, and regeneration in my AP Biology and first year Biology courses, I capture my students' attention with this engaging animation. I use it as a hook for students to show a real-life example of how undifferentiated cells differentiate in order to replace missing specialized tissues, including muscle, bone, nerves, and blood vessels. My students particularly like the scissors cutting the newt limb at the 30-second mark! A must-see for all levels of Biology!"